Tag Archives: Cincinnati Opera

October 3, 2024 · 10:21 am

90.9 WGUC to Broadcast Cincinnati Opera’s 2024 SUMMER FESTIVAL on Sunday Evenings in November

CINCINNATI (Oct. 2, 2024)—Relive the magic of Cincinnati Opera’s 2024 Summer Festival on Sunday evenings this November when 90.9 WGUC, Cincinnati’s classical public radio station, broadcasts performances from Cincinnati Opera’s 2024 season. Each broadcast will begin at 8 p.m. ET and can be heard locally on air at 90.9 FM and online at wguc.org.

Opening scene of Cincinnati Opera’s production of Paul McCartney’s LIVERPOOL ORATORIO. Photo by Philip Groshong.

Cincinnati Opera’s 2024 Summer Festival took place June 13–July 27, 2024, at Cincinnati’s historic Music Hall. The operas to be broadcast include Don Giovanni, La Traviata, and Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio. For additional details, please visit wguc.org.

CINCINNATI OPERA’S 2024 SUMMER FESTIVAL ON 90.9 WGUC
Broadcast Schedule:

Sunday, November 3 | 8 p.m. ET
DON GIOVANNI
Originally performed June 13 and 15, 2024, at Cincinnati Music Hall

Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte Dame Jane Glover, conductor; Alison Moritz, stage director
Featuring Elliot Madore, Jessica Faselt, Jessica Rivera, Aaron Blake, Christian Pursell, Erin Keesy, Joseph Parrish, Patrick Guetti; Cincinnati Opera Chorus; Cincinnati Ballet; Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Description:
Mozart’s riveting masterpiece follows Don Giovanni, a man who uses people without a care for their hearts, or the consequences. All the while, the Don’s servant Leporello records his master’s misdeeds. By killing the father of a woman he’s attacked, Giovanni sets in motion events that could lead to his end. Will he get away with his unrepentant pursuit of selfish desire, or will there be hell to pay?

Sunday, November 10 | 8 p.m. ET
LA TRAVIATA
Originally performed June 27, 28, and 30, 2024, at Cincinnati Music Hall

Music by Giuseppe Verdi; libretto by Francesco Maria Piave
Lorenzo Passerini, conductor; Trevore Ross, stage director
Featuring Gilda Fiume, Santiago Ballerini, Anthony Clark Evans, Taylor-Alexis Dupont, Demetrious Sampson, Jr., Mike Young, Thomas Dreeze, Samuel Smith, Tanya Harris, Ivan Griffin; Cincinnati Opera Chorus; Cincinnati Ballet; Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Description:
Alfredo wants to be with Violetta, but they come at love from different sides. Alfredo toasts to true love, affection that endures, while Violetta celebrates desires that are fun, free, and fleeting. Persuaded to try another way of life, she agrees to stop playing games. But old habits die hard. Featuring one of opera’s ultimate soprano roles, La Traviata explores the passions and pitfalls of the heart. Will Violetta find love that lasts, before it’s too late?

Sunday, November 17 | 8 p.m. ET
Paul McCartney’s LIVERPOOL ORATORIO
Originally performed July 18, 20, 21, 25, and 27, 2024, at Cincinnati Music Hall

Music and lyrics by Paul McCartney and Carl Davis
Joseph Young, conductor; Caroline Clegg, stage director
Featuring Andrew Owens, Jacqueline Echols McCarley, Kayleigh Decker, Kevin Short; Cincinnati Opera Chorus; Cincinnati Boychoir; Cincinnati Ballet; Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Description:
Memories from Paul McCartney’s life in Liverpool, England, inspire this story of growing up and finding our way. Beginning with Latin text that means “not for ourselves, but for the whole world were we born,” Liverpool Oratorio explores formative moments, relationships, and the responsibilities we accept. Cincinnati Opera proudly presents the world-premiere stage adaptation of McCartney’s acclaimed 1991 work for orchestra, chorus, and soloists. It’s a powerful story, full of heartfelt lyrics and soaring melodies, presented in a brand-new stage production.

2024 Cincinnati Opera Broadcast Supporters
Cincinnati Opera’s 2024 Summer Festival broadcasts on 90.9 WGUC are made possible through the generous cooperation of Local 1, the Cincinnati chapter of the American Federation of Musicians, and the American Guild of Musical Artists. Thanks go to the Louis and Louise Nippert Charitable Foundation; H.B., E.W., and F.R. Luther Charitable Foundation, Fifth Third Bank, Trustee; and The Willard and Jean Mulford Charitable Fund and The Victoria L. Memmel Charitable Fund of the Cambridge Charitable Foundation for their support of WGUC’s broadcasts of the Cincinnati Opera.

About Cincinnati Public Radio
90.9 WGUC, Cincinnati’s classical public radio station, part of Cincinnati Public Radio, has been home to classical music and the arts in the Greater Cincinnati community for more than 60 years. Presenting the finest from the classical music canon 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with special features like Classics for Kids and New at Noon, WGUC also records and broadcasts performances by the Cincinnati Opera, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, May Festival, and other local performing groups.

About Cincinnati Opera
Cincinnati Opera’s mission is to enrich and connect our community through diverse opera experiences. Founded in 1920 and the second-oldest opera company in the nation, Cincinnati Opera presents a thrilling season of grand opera every summer and engaging programs throughout the year. The company’s repertoire includes beloved classics and contemporary masterworks brought to life by some of the world’s most dynamic performers and creative artists.

Cincinnati Opera is supported by the generosity of tens of thousands of contributors to the ArtsWave Community Campaign. Cincinnati Opera receives funds from the Ohio Arts Council, which receives support from the State of Ohio and the National Endowment for the Arts. Lead sponsor for Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio is Western & Southern Financial Group. The company also receives general season support from The Louise Dieterle Nippert Musical Arts Fund, Patricia A. Corbett Estate and Trust, and the Harry T. Wilks Family Foundation, along with general season and project support from many other generous individuals, corporations, and foundations. Cincinnati Opera is a member of OPERA America. Learn more at cincinnatiopera.org.

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September 30, 2024 · 5:24 pm

Cincinnati Opera Announces Revised Timeline for THE BLACK OPERA PROJECT

Shifting Later by One Year

CINCINNATI (Sept. 30, 2024)—Cincinnati Opera today announced that it has revised the timeline for The Black Opera Project, the company’s groundbreaking, three-opera commissioning initiative that engages Black creators to develop new operas celebrating Black stories.

As previously announced, The Black Opera Project seeks to illuminate the resilient spirit and vibrant heritage of the Black American experience. The project is the outgrowth of a grant from the Mellon Foundation to support Cincinnati Opera’s development of three new operas by Black creators focused on uplifting stories about the Black community.

Also as previously announced, the first work in The Black Opera Project, Lalovavi, an Afrofuturist grand opera with music by Kevin Day, libretto by Tifara Brown, and stage direction and dramaturgy by Kimille Howard, was initially set to premiere on Juneteenth 2025; Lalovavi will now open during Cincinnati Opera’s 2026 Summer Festival. The second opera—Good Trouble: The Boy from Troy, inspired by the life of U.S. Congressman John Lewis with music by Maria Thompson Corley, libretto by Diana Solomon Glover, and stage direction and dramaturgy by Timothy Douglas—will premiere as part of the company’s 2027 summer season. The third, as-yet-unnamed work will be presented during the summer of 2028.

“Artistic ventures of any kind take time, but creating a new opera is a particularly complex and intricate endeavor,” said Evans Mirageas, The Harry T. Wilks Artistic Director of Cincinnati Opera. “We’re committed to providing each of these important new stories the creative space and resources to achieve their creators’ respective visions. This adjustment will allow additional time for each opera’s development and refinement.”

The company will announce its 2025 Summer Festival in October 2024. On-sale dates for Lalovavi, Good Trouble: The Boy from Troy, and the third work in The Black Opera Project will be announced at a later date. For more information, visit cincinnatiopera.org.

About Cincinnati Opera
Cincinnati Opera’s mission is to enrich and connect our community through diverse opera experiences. Founded in 1920 and the second-oldest opera company in the nation, Cincinnati Opera presents a thrilling season of grand opera every summer and engaging programs throughout the year. The company’s repertoire includes beloved classics and contemporary masterworks brought to life by some of the world’s most dynamic performers and creative artists.

Cincinnati Opera is supported by the generosity of tens of thousands of contributors to the ArtsWave Community Campaign. Lead funder of Lalovavi is the David C. Herriman Fund of Greater Cincinnati Foundation. Additional funding for The Black Opera Project has been provided by the Mellon Foundation. Cincinnati Opera receives funding from the Ohio Arts Council, which receives support from the State of Ohio and the National Endowment for the Arts. Cincinnati Opera also receives general season support from The Louise Dieterle Nippert Musical Arts Fund, Patricia A. Corbett Estate and Trust, and the Harry T. Wilks Family Foundation, along with general season and project support from many other generous individuals, corporations, and foundations. Cincinnati Opera is a member of OPERA America. Learn more at cincinnatiopera.org.

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September 11, 2024 · 5:59 pm

Cincinnati Opera and CCM to Workshop HILDEGARD

A new opera by Sarah Kirkland Snider, commissioned and produced by Beth Morrison Projects, through Opera Fusion: New Works partnership

The workshop culminates in a free, public presentation of excerpts from the opera on Thursday, October 10.

CINCINNATI (September 11, 2024)—Cincinnati Opera and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) have announced the next opera to be workshopped through their joint program, Opera Fusion: New Works (OF:NW): Hildegard, with music and libretto by Sarah Kirkland Snider.

Commissioned and produced by Beth Morrison Projects, Hildegard imagines three of the most pivotal events in the life of 12th-century German Benedictine nun, visionary, composer, and polymath Hildegard von Bingen. It’s the year 1147, and Hildegard begins transcribing her visions of God. She enlists the assistance of a young convalescent, Richardis von Stade, and the two women quickly develop a transformative partnership that awakens them creatively, spiritually, and—much to the internal conflict of both women—romantically. In the meantime, a dispute with Hildegard’s superior costs her and her novitiate daughters the right to make music, underscoring Hildegard’s fundamental lack of agency in the male-dominated monastic culture and jeopardizing her standing within the Church. As Hildegard anxiously awaits the Pope to declare her prophet or heretic, the love between Hildegard and Richardis becomes impossible to ignore, and an unforeseen crisis threatens both their hard-won accomplishments and the intimacy, in all its complexity and secrecy, that has become their salvation.

Sarah Kirkland Snider
Composer/Librettist
Photo: Shervin Lainez

Opera Fusion: New Works (OF:NW) is co-directed by Robin Guarino, professor of opera at CCM, and Evans Mirageas, The Harry T. Wilks Artistic Director of Cincinnati Opera, and provides composers and librettists the opportunity to collaborate with singers and creative personnel to refine their operas-in-progress. During the October workshop for Hildegard, Snider will work to further develop the work alongside director Elkhanah Pulitzer, dramaturg Annie Wang, and a cast of singers that includes Kiera Duffy as Hildegard and Mikaela Bennett as Richardis.

A public performance of excerpts from Hildegard will take place on Thursday, October 10, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. (ET) at Cincinnati Music Hall’s Wilks Studio (1241 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202). Admission to the public performance is free, though seating is limited and reservations are required. Reservations are available by calling 513-241-2742 or visiting cincinnatiopera.org.

About Opera Fusion: New Works
Funded through a generous gift from the Mellon Foundation, Opera Fusion: New Works (OF:NW) is a partnership between Cincinnati Opera and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) dedicated to fostering the development of new American operas. This collaboration is jointly led by Robin Guarino, professor of opera at CCM, and Evans Mirageas, The Harry T. Wilks Artistic Director of Cincinnati Opera. OF:NW offers composers or composer/librettist teams the opportunity to workshop an opera during a residency in Cincinnati. Residencies utilize the facilities, personnel, and talent of both Cincinnati Opera and CCM. The workshops are cast with a combination of CCM students and professional artists, and each workshop concludes with a free public presentation of excerpts followed by an audience Q&A session. For more information, visit ofnw.org.

About CCM
Nationally ranked and internationally renowned, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) is a preeminent institution for the performing and media arts. The school’s educational roots date back to 1867, and a solid, visionary instruction has been at its core since that time. CCM offers 10 degree types (BA, BFA, BM, MA, MFA, MM, MME, AD, DMA, PhD) in nearly 120 possible majors, along with a wide variety of pre-collegiate and post-graduate programs and workshops. The college also offers a new graduate certificate in Music Pedagogy and two academic minors (Media Production, Music).

Declared a top college vocal program by Backstage Magazine and described as “one of the continent’s major music schools,” by the Toronto Star, CCM’s Departments of Opera and Voice provide one of the most comprehensive training programs for opera singers, coaches, and directors in the United States. CCM offers an international faculty of dedicated educators who are also celebrated professionals in their own right, widely and currently active in their respective fields. Several national opera companies hold auditions at the conservatory, and CCM students frequently advance to the final rounds of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. CCM graduates have performed on the stages of the world’s greatest opera companies, including Cincinnati Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Royal Opera (London), La Scala (Italy), and more. CCM Voice and Opera program support is provided by the Mellon Foundation for Opera Fusion: New Works, The Louise Dieterle Nippert Musical Arts Fund, and the Patricia A. Corbett Estate. Additional support for CCM’s undergraduate opera productions is provided by Rafael and Kimberly de Acha. Guest directors for the 2024-25 season are supported by the Bacchus Legacy Foundation. To learn more, visit ccm.uc.edu.

About Cincinnati Opera
Cincinnati Opera’s mission is to enrich and connect our community through diverse opera experiences. Founded in 1920 and the second-oldest opera company in the nation, Cincinnati Opera presents a thrilling season of grand opera every summer and engaging programs throughout the year. The company’s repertoire includes beloved classics and contemporary masterworks brought to life by some of the world’s most dynamic performers and creative artists.

Cincinnati Opera is supported by the generosity of tens of thousands of contributors to the ArtsWave Community Campaign. This project is supported in part by the Ohio Arts Council, which receives support from the State of Ohio and the National Endowment for the Arts. Opera Fusion: New Works receives generous funding from the Mellon Foundation. Cincinnati Opera also receives general season support from The Louise Dieterle Nippert Musical Arts Fund, Patricia A. Corbett Estate and Trust, and the Harry T. Wilks Family Foundation, along with general season and project support from many other generous individuals, corporations, and foundations. Cincinnati Opera is a proud member of OPERA America. Learn more at cincinnatiopera.org.

About Beth Morrison Projects
Founded in 2006 to support the work of living composers and their multi-media collaborators, Beth Morrison Projects encourages risk-taking, creating a structure for new work that is unique to the artist and allows them to feel safe to experiment and push boundaries. Noted as “the edge of innovation” (Opera News), Beth Morrison Projects is a “contemporary opera mastermind” (Los Angeles Times) and “its own genre” (Opera News). Projects have been performed at numerous prestigious venues and festivals around the world including Brooklyn Academy of Music, Disney Hall, The Barbican, Lincoln Center, The Walker Art Center, The Beijing Music Festival, New Visions Arts Festival, The Holland Festival, O Festival Rotterdam, and more. Recent and upcoming projects include works by composers Michael Gordon, Ted Hearne, Huang Ruo, David T. Little, Missy Mazzoli, Emma O’Halloran, Paola Prestini, Ellen Reid, Sarah Kirkland Snider, and more, with directors Tom Creed, James Darrah, Rachel Dickstein, Lee Sunday Evans, Patricia McGregor, Zoe Aja Moore, Kevin Newbury, Matthew Ozawa, Karmina Silec, Jay Scheib, Michael VQ, and Basil Twist.

About Beth Morrison
Recipient of the Musical America Award for Best Artist of the Year and Agent of Change, and a Kennedy Center Next50 Honoree, Beth Morrison is hailed as a “contemporary opera mastermind” (Los Angeles Times) and “a powerhouse leading the industry to new heights” (WQXR). She created Beth Morrison Projects (BMP) in 2006 to identify and support the work of emerging and established living composers, and to create a new kind of opera, and Opera News has noted: “More than any other figure in the opera industry, Beth Morrison has helped propel the art form into the twenty-first century.” In 2013, Beth co-founded the PROTOTYPE Festival with HERE, which has become “essential to the evolution of American opera” (New Yorker).

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July 5, 2024 · 9:28 am

Cincinnati Opera’s 2024 Summer Festival Concludes with the World Stage Premiere of Paul McCartney’s LIVERPOOL ORATORIO

Performances take place July 18, 20, 21, 25, and 27 at Cincinnati Music Hall

CINCINNATI (July 3, 2024)—Cincinnati Opera concludes its 2024 Summer Festival July 18-27 with the highly anticipated world stage premiere of Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio at Cincinnati’s historic Music Hall. The touching and topical classical piece features music and lyrics by Paul McCartney and Carl Davis with all new sets, costumes, lighting, staging, and choreography. Please see below for complete details.

CO_Liverpool OratoriosdCALENDAR INFORMATION

Who and What:
Cincinnati Opera presents the world stage premiere of Paul McCartney’s LIVERPOOL ORATORIO

When:

  • Thursday, July 18, 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, July 20, 7:30 p.m.
  •  Sunday, July 21, 3:00 p.m.
  • Thursday, July 25, 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, July 27, 3:00 p.m.

Where:
Music Hall’s Springer Auditorium, 1241 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202

Description:
Written by Paul McCartney in collaboration with the late, esteemed composer and conductor, Carl Davis, Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio was commissioned by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society in honor of its 150th anniversary and premiered in 1991. The piece tells the semiautobiographical story of a young man named Shanty, who is born during the turbulent years of World War II and grows up in Liverpool. The work follows his life journey, depicting his struggles and joys and exploring the themes of childhood, school days, love, war, and reconciliation. McCartney’s melodic pop sensibility is evident alongside stunning classical orchestration, resulting in an accessible yet intricate musical work.

Cincinnati Opera’s production of Paul McCartney’s LIVERPOOL ORATORIO will be the work’s first-ever operatic staging, featuring all new sets, costumes, lighting, staging, and choreography, plus a dazzling cast, a 48-voice chorus, dancers from the Cincinnati Ballet, and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Scenic design for Cincinnati Opera’s production of Paul McCartney’s LIVERPOOL ORATORIO. Design by Leslie Travers.

In a letter to the company, McCartney said, “I am writing to express my wholehearted support for this project. I believe that the Cincinnati Opera is uniquely positioned to bring this work to life in a new way, and I have no doubt that your production will be an inspiring experience for all who see it.”

The public is encouraged to join in the effort to invite McCartney to attend this historic event by creating tribute videos, sharing them on social media, and tagging @cincinnatiopera and #GetPaulToMusicHall. For more information on the regional campaign, “Come Together, Cincy! Get Paul to Music Hall!” visit GetPaulToMusicHall.org.

CO_Liverpool Oratoriocc
Cast and Creative Team:

  • Composers/Librettists … Paul McCartney and Carl Davis
  • Conductor … Joseph Young
  • Stage Director … Caroline Clegg
  • Set and Costume Designer … Leslie Travers
  • Associate Costume Designer … Kelli Haase
  • Lighting Designer … Thomas C. Hase
  • Wig and Makeup Designer … James Geier
  • Choreographer … Michael Pappalardo
  • Chorus Master … Henri Venanzi
  • Cincinnati Boychoir Director … Jason Alexander Holmes
  • Shanty … Andrew Owens
  • Mary Dee … Jacqueline Echols McCarley
  • Miss Inkley/Chief Mourner/Nurse … Kayleigh Decker
  • Headmaster/Preacher/Mr. Dingle … Kevin Short
  • Boy Soloists … Nick Kruckeberg, Eli DeHoff

Featuring the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Opera Chorus, Cincinnati Boychoir, and Cincinnati Ballet

Tickets and Information:
Tickets start at $36. To order, call 513-241-2742 or visit cincinnatiopera.org/liverpool-oratorio.

About Cincinnati Opera
Cincinnati Opera’s mission is to enrich and connect our community through diverse opera experiences. Founded in 1920 and the second-oldest opera company in the nation, Cincinnati Opera presents a thrilling season of grand opera every summer and engaging programs throughout the year. The company’s repertoire includes beloved classics and contemporary masterworks brought to life by some of the world’s most dynamic performers and creative artists.

Cincinnati Opera is supported by the generosity of tens of thousands of contributors to the ArtsWave Community Campaign. The company also receives support from the Ohio Arts Council, which receives support from the State of Ohio and the National Endowment for the Arts. Lead sponsor for Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio is Western & Southern Financial Group. Cincinnati Opera also receives general season support from The Louise Dieterle Nippert Musical Arts Fund, Patricia A. Corbett Estate and Trust, and the Harry T. Wilks Family Foundation, along with general season and project support from many other generous individuals, corporations, and foundations. Media partner is 90.9 WGUC. Cincinnati Opera is a proud member of OPERA America. Learn more at cincinnatiopera.org.

Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio is a coproduction with Seattle Opera and is presented by
arrangement with Faber Music in association with MPL Communications.

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June 25, 2024 · 5:08 pm

Paul McCartney’s LIVERPOOL ORATORIO Runs July 18-27

CO_Liverpool OratorioPaul McCartney’s LIVERPOOL ORATORIO
Cincinnati Opera
July 18-27
Music Hall [Over-the-Rhine]

Music and libretto by Paul McCartney and Carl Davis

Memories from Paul McCartney’s life in Liverpool, England, inspire this story of growing up and finding our way. Beginning with Latin text that means “not for ourselves, but for the whole world were we born,” Liverpool Oratorio explores formative moments, relationships, and the responsibilities we accept. Cincinnati Opera proudly presents the world-premiere stage adaptation of McCartney’s acclaimed 1991 work for orchestra, chorus, and soloists. It’s a powerful story, full of heartfelt lyrics and soaring melodies, presented in a brand-new stage production. Sung in English with projected lyrics.

  • Thu, July 18 at 7:30pm
  • Sat, July 20 at 7:30pm
  • Sun, July 21 at 3pm
  • Thu, July 25 at 7:30pm
  • Sat, July 27 at 3pm

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